


I've Been Waiting For You

by startrecking



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Hover for translation, M/M, Post-Trade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5752735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrecking/pseuds/startrecking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you ready?" Carl asked, walking into the changing room from the showers, dried, dressed and ready for the world.<br/>"If you are." Patric said and slipped his phone back in his pocket again.<br/>"Always," he grinned as he slapped Patric on the shoulder before leading the way out. Patric followed with a smile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Been Waiting For You

**Author's Note:**

> I never meant to get invested in this pairing I just started writing to test the waters. Look at me now.
> 
> As always, the biggest thanks to [Roman](http://applebottomcrosby.tumblr.com) for holding my hand throughout this, and also to [Jayce](http://mcstromner.tumblr.com) for the feedback early on.
> 
> I started writing the Swedish as sort of a joke, but then it spiraled into chaos and I lost all control. I'm sorry. If you're on a device that can't hover over text for the translations, a full translation of all the Swedish spoken can be found [here](http://mikerichards.tumblr.com/private/137539610059/tumblr_o15233LZoy1uh2bcc). Title is by ABBA. Enjoy!

Waking up to see fifty-one new notifications on his phone, Patric felt a chill run down his back. After being in the NHL for so long, and after one trade already, seeing that many twitter notifications and text messages sent his brain into overdrive and all the worst scenarios started popping up in his imagination.

He unlocked his phone and read the first notification, and felt himself let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding.

**Bob McKenzie** @TSNBobMcKenzie  
Rust never sleeps… and neither apparently do NHL GMs. Late night trade between PIT and ANA. Details to come. 

**Bob McKenzie** @TSNBoBMcKenzie  
ANA trades Carl Hagelin to Pit for David Perron and Adam Clendening

It was always hard to see good guys like Perron and Clendening go. Losing teammates always left a scar on the team. It was a hole that could be filled, position wise, by new teammates, but it would 

So it was a bittersweet feeling that rose up in him, an excitement that built at the same time that sadness ripped down. Patric knew he would be off kilter all day, emotions waging a war inside of him as he tried to get them back under control, but he had a feeling that he would come out of the whole ordeal still with excitement.

Patric couldn’t help the small smile that spread over his lips as he opened up his texts to message his friends. _Goodbyes_ and _I’ll miss you_ -s to David and Adam, and a quick _Welcome to the team_ to Carl. He almost couldn’t believe it. Carl was coming to Pittsburgh. Carl was a _Penguin_.

—

He wanted to tell Carl that he didn’t even have to ask for Patric to pick him up from the airport, but there was still a hint of fear in his gut that made him stop and ask whether Carl wanted this. Whether what they had over the off-season whilst they trained was something he wanted to bring into his normal life, or whether it was meant to stay as it was. A summer fling. 

It was with a relieved smile that Patric promised him he would be there. 

—

The airport was busy with early morning traffic as Patric stood just to the side of arrivals, sunglasses on and a Pittsburgh Pirates cap pulled low over eyes. He’d gotten a text from Carl as soon as the flight had landed and again when the luggage carousels had started, and now the only thing left to do was wait.

Finally, a long mop of dark blonde hair covered by a Team Canada cap came into sight dragging two suitcases behind him and Patric smiled and waved to catch his friend’s attention. __

“Hej,” Carl said, grinning as he wrapped his arms tightly around Patric. “Det är kul att se dig!"” He laughed, and it was all Patric could do to hold on tightly and hug back with as much force as he was getting.

“Du med,” Patric said grinning as he reluctantly pulled back from the hug. He wanted nothing more than to stay holding on to Carl for at least another five minutes, but they were in public and would been noticed eventually, and they also had a practice to get to. 

“Du vet inte hur skönt det är att höra svenska igen,” he added with a laugh as he grabbed Carl’s second bag and started hauling it out to his car. “Engelska är bra men…” He shrugged as his voice tapered off and looked back over his shoulder to Carl. “Du vet.” 

Carl nodded, understanding. “Jag vet.”

—

”Hej, är du redo?” Patric looked up from his phone to see Carl stood in front of him, showered, dressed and ready to go. Not having to do any media after the game, Patric had been ready for a while, and had spent the time waiting for Carl just messing around on his phone.

“Om du är,” He replied and slipped his phone into his pocket again. They had agreed on the way to the rink from the airport that Carl wouldn’t need a hotel. He could just bunk up at Patric’s place until he found his own place.

“Självklart,” Carl said with a grin and slapped Patric on the shoulder before leading the way out. Patric followed with a smile, waving goodbye to Dana and the rest of the crew who were starting to mill around the locker room, there job still not finished for the night.

—

“Ska vi äta ute?” Patric asked, walking back into the kitchen after changing from his game day suit to jeans and a loose tee shirt. “Eller vil du ha hämtat?” 

Carl shrugged from where he sat at the kitchen island, slowly sipping at a Gatorade and scrolling through his phone. “Finns det några bra restauranger I närheten?”

“Det beror på vad du vill,” Patric said, going to the fridge to grab a bottle of water for himself. “Jag känner till ett bra japanskt ställe. De har god sushi.”

“Sushi låter bra,” Carl agreed. He looked out the window at the dark sky with a small frown. “Men låt oss stanna inne. Jag är inte van att det blir så mörkt så tidigt.” 

Patric shot him a sympathetic smile, ”Det finns mycket som är annorlunda här i Pittsburgh, va?”

Carl sat in silence for a moment, messing with the label on his bottle with a somber expression on his face. The happiness that Patric had felt ever since he found out about the trade died down slightly at the sight. Trades were the worst thing imaginable most of the time. Very few players wanted a trade and he could remember exactly how it had felt when he was traded from Nashville. 

When you were traded your life was literally uprooted and thrown to a completely new city, and you to a team who had once been your rivals. And to play the same night as the move… Patric could understand the crease on Carl’s brow to say the least.

“Ja…” He said, finally looking up at Patric and taking a deep breath. “Men vad some är gjort är gjort. Och det är inte allt som är dåligt.” He added, perking up more and a smile returning to his face.

“Nähä?” Patric asked slightly confused to what Carl meant. Sure, the Penguins had more points than the Ducks did in the league standings, but it wasn’t exactly like they had any more of a chance of making the playoffs. Colder weather definitely _wasn’t_ anything to brag about, he thought, longingly remembering the days in LA where the team had had the day off and gone to the beach to just absorb the warmth. So he really didn’t have any idea what it was Carl could be referring to. 

“Nej,” Carl confirmed with a small laugh, clearly seeing the confusion on Patric’s features. “Du är här.”

The confession surprised Patric, to say the least. They had hooked up a couple times during the off-season, sure, but the off-season was so much different than whilst hockey was on. Things could be different now.

But they weren’t. Carl still appreciated him just the same, and maybe their small summer flings could turn into something more over time. A sweet smile tugged at Patric’s lips as Carl continued to smile at him, and he had to shake his head with disbelief at how openhearted Carl was. 

“Visst,” he said sarcastically, joking at his own expense. “En svensk i utbyte mot tre. Fantastiskt.” 

”Du är värd mer än hela Skandinavian, Patric.” Carl said as his eyes grew fond and his smile soft. “För mig, åtminstone.”

Patric felt like all the air vanished from his lungs as Carl muttered the sentence, and suddenly all thoughts about post-trade feelings and sushi were gone from his mind, instead replaced with thoughts of Carl. Thoughts of how Carl was there with him, how Carl was a _Penguin_ , about how Carl wanted to be with him.

Something settled deep in Patric, and before he knew what he was doing he was crossing the kitchen, sidestepping the island and crowding Carl up against it.

“Menar du det?” He asked, excitedly giddy like a kid at Christmas. “Jag förstår rätt, eller hur?”

“Ja, Patric,” Carl laughed, and by God if that wasn’t one of the most beautiful sounds Patric had ever heard. “Ja jag menar det, och ja du förstår rätt. Jag har älskat dig sedan förra sommaren, din idiot.” 

At that, Patric surged forwards, unable to hold himself back any longer. With one hand pushing Carl’s hips back into the work surface and the other cradling Carl’s cheek, he crashed their lips together and kissed to his heart’s full content. Chaste at first, but as it continued and Carl’s hands began to roam lower and lower on his back, the kisses became more hurried and hungry, Patric nipping or biting every so often and getting small whimpers right back as payment.

All too soon, Carl pulled back, pushing a hand to Patric’s chest to keep him away as he looked up at him through his eyelashes. Patric groaned his disagreement with whatever decision it was Carl had come to and tried to push back in, but Carl’s hand was firm.

“Mat först,” Carl said insistently, but the glint in his eye that Patric saw told him that Carl knew exactly what he was doing. “Vi kan fortsätta efter,” Carl promised, and though Patric could literally not care any less about food right now, he sighed and nodded his understanding.

“Bäst för dog att du ätter snabbt.” Patric grunted, shooting Carl daggers as he reached for the phone to order the sushi.

“Det är inte bra för matsmältningen. Du borde veta det, Patric.” Carl laughed as he walked past him and into the living room. 

“Ha-ha,” Patric mock-laughed after him, still shooting him daggers, but all at the same time his heart felt like it was swelling. This was happening. This was going to happen more. Carl had promised him more, and Patric was sure that he could wait just a bit if it meant he got it all. Carl was worth waiting for.

**Author's Note:**

> Super huge thanks to [Roe](http://medicdawes.tumblr.com) for proof reading the Swedish! As always, I can be found on my [Twitter](http://twitter.com/MIKERlCHARDS) and [Tumblr](http://mikerichards.tumblr.com). Thanks for reading!


End file.
